Indonesia have practically assured themselves a spot in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after thrashing Brunei Darussalam 6-0 in Thursday night’s first round first leg match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. Dimas Drajad was the man of the hour, scoring a hat-trick that made him the top-scorer of the current round of qualifiers, above more-established names such as Neymar, Rodrygo, Enzo Fernandez, and Lionel Messi.
The opening goal came in the seventh minute, initiated by Hokky Caraka’s header that struck the post, with Persikabo 1973 striker Drajad seizing the rebound.
Despite a strong attempt from Marc Klok, Haimie Nyaring in the Brunei goal managed to deflect the shot, leading to a corner kick. Sandy Walsh’s subsequent header narrowly missed the target.
Indonesia furthered their lead in the 11th minute when Rizky Ridho skillfully executed Saddil Ramdani’s corner kick.
Throughout the game, Indonesia maintained control, with Brunei, missing their talisman Faiq Bolkiah, being constantly put underneath the Timnas Garuda‘s thumb. Asnawi Mangkualam unleashed a shot from outside the penalty area, but it was thwarted by Nyaring.
In the 62nd minute, Indonesia was awarded a penalty after Walsh was brought down by Muhammad Nazhan. Ramadhan Sananta successfully converted the penalty, sending the ball to the right corner beyond Nyaring’s reach.
Persis Solo attacker Sananta scored again in the 68th minute, heading in a rebound from Ricky Kambuaya’s shot that had been blocked by Nyaring.
Drajad secured his second goal in the 72nd minute, capitalizing on Saddil Ramdani’s precise cross from the right, before the hat-trick was completed in the first minute of injury time, with his low shot from inside the penalty area catching Nyaring off guard.
The hat-trick meant that Drajad had outscored several more-established players who were playing in their own respective qualifiers around the same time, with both Neymar and Rodrygo scoring twice for Brazil and the likes of Fernandez and Messi scoring once for Argentina.
The 6-0 win meant that Shin Tae-yong’s Indonesia boys could afford to kick back and relax for next Tuesday’s second leg, held at the Hassanah Bolkiah National Stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan, knowing that a spot in the second round of qualifiers has been pretty much guaranteed.